Uxbridge Police launch crackdown on drunken driving

Saturday

Aug 9, 2014 at 6:00 AM

UXBRIDGE — The Uxbridge Police Department announced recently it will join an intensive statewide crackdown on drunken driving beginning Wednesday through Sept. 1, as part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

The program is funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Highway Safety Division.

"All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life," Police Chief Jeffrey Lourie said in a news release. "Because we're committed to highway safety, we are intensifying enforcement during the crackdown. Twice as many alcohol-impaired crashes occur over the weekend and four times as many occur at night, so we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2012, 123 people in Massachusetts were killed in crashes that involved drivers with a blood alcohol content level of .08 or higher.

The NHTSA also reports that on average, there is one alcohol-impaired driving fatality every 51 minutes across America.

The number of drivers driving under the influence increases during holiday weekends, especially during summer holidays, with one alcohol-impaired driving fatality every 34 minutes during Labor Day weekend.